Tag Archive: Travels
There was a time when I’d compare travel packages to southeast Asian neighbors against domestic destinations. Because there were promo packages to Hongkong, Macau, Taipei, Bangkok and Vietnam, it was agonizing to choose to go instead to El Nido, Batanes or elsewhere you can fly to within the country.
No, I don’t feel the need to have my passport stamped. Nor do I feel “shortchanged” spending more for a local trip. I’m simply a sucker for COLD WEATHER. So with my family. We love getting all “wrapped up” for a few days, layering up and enjoying no-sweat days.
When we do travel around the Philippines, we marvel at the local scenery. Our landscapes and seascapes are so beautiful that some are wont to exclaim “Parang Hindi Pilipinas” (It’s like it’s NOT the Philippines). This is said in the same breadth as “Only in the Philippines” whenever one finds something utterly WRONG. I’m curious how and why such is the attitude. Why can’t something so beautiful belong to the Philippines? Why is it that something so bad is accepted to be particular to this country?
Next time you travel, don’t hesitate to spend on and in your own country. Who knows? A pleasant surprise may be waiting for you 🙂
A wise traveler never despises his own country. – Carlo Goldoni
WHAT’S BEYOND?
Beyond the Walkway. Beyond the Sea. I’ve decided to join the Weekly Photo Challenge and eagerly await each week’s theme. This amateur has resisted in the past, thinking this is for pros. But then, this challenge is so inspiring and potentially a good system to update one’s blog.
Beyond Sunset is Twilight. Sunsets are awesome. Twilights are magical.
Landscapes. Seascapes. Skyscapes?
Beyond the savanna. What lurks beyond?
This is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond.
What is it, really? Would you go for the baked goodies (think HOPIA)? Or for the spruced up garden overlooking the hills?
Santa is in Baker’s Hill, Puerto Princesa!
It was still the Christmas Season, so the garden and pseudo-park is decorated with American holiday decor from Santa Claus to a giant pine tree to Marilyn Monroe in Christmas red. (Well actually, Marilyn M stays even after the holidays to keep the Walt Disney (or is it Looney Tunes?) characters company for the rest of the year. A Mini-Theme Park! And no admission fee. Free!
Marilyn Monroe in Christmas Red. She’s a permanent fixture here.
It’s been sometime since I last visited. A pleasant surprise….. but they’ve expanded the garden and it’s certainly a good place to while away the time. There’s a good breeze and the panorama from the promontory at the end of the garden offers a respite after an exciting underground river tour from nearby Sabang. Well, just don’t mind the talking bird who wouldnt shut up near the area where they keep the peacocks.
Christmas in Baker’s Hill.
Tamilok, anyone? Ain’t that brave. Fear Factor enthusiasts and fans may try these wood worms here. Prepared raw, “cooked” by marinating in vinegar. Tastes like oysters, they say. I may have tried it though if not for this bum stomach. Couldn’t risk it as there’s a flight to catch.
Yeah. Woodworms. Fear Factor-ish.
Well, there are other choices. Baker’s Hill is really more than just a bake shop. It’s an amusement park, mini-zoo, restaurant row all rolled into a single place. Try the halo halo (literally means “mix mix”) for snacks or dessert. As for me? I would rather try one of the pizzas.
Choose your pizza!
And this theme park is free!
Who lives here?
I’m on a REVIEW MODE. I always tell my family that when I grow too old to be able to travel without breaking any bones or being a burden to my travel companions, I’d be quite content in a lazy boy watching my OWN MOVIES and photo albums. It’s my MEMORY AIDE these “memory catchers”. I want to remember all the happy moments!
The Safari videos certainly rank up there in my collection of memories. How else can you replay those moments when you’re just a few feet from a rhino or a pride of lions? It’s a miracle my hands stopped shaking to capture these moments in video. But my Zambian adventure tops the list too. Aaah….. Zambia. It’s everything I did not expect!
My first helicopter ride didn’t happen in Zambia. My first heliflight was back in 2007 in Alaska. Setting foot on Mendenhall Glacier was a top thrill too. That’s when I knew I can give up shopping anytime to blow dollars on these expensive adventures. But there were also happy moments where I didn’t have to burn a hole in my pocket. Times with family. Adventures with my “elves”. *Happiness*
You don’t need to be a swimmer to enjoy the beaches. I’m NOT. But I do enjoy the feel of sand between my toes. The sun doesn’t scare me — sunscreen lotions are my allies. And I don’t mind bad hair days as sea breeze salt and dry my hair. My “elves” remind me I am starting to look like a starfish, drawing laughter from the rest of the brats. So you can say I don’t mind being a laughingstock too during my “sun and sand” adventures.
No crowds. No touts. Just the sun, sand and the waves rushing to shore.
It took us a whole hour from El Nido town proper to get here. Unpaved roads, no directional signs, remote to a point you get a sense you’re lost if not for our van driver who claims to know the place. No establishments here. No crowds. No touts. Just a lone stone rest house reportedly owned by a German married to a Filipina. White sandy beach stretching some 4 or so kilometers. At one end, one can cross over to another beach where the water is calmer. Climb up a hill and you get the entire panorama of the twin beaches of Nacpan and Calitang.
Check out that lone stone resthouse behind the coconut trees.
Behind these coconut trees is another beach.
Except for 3 pairs of motorcycling tourists (how did they get here?), we “owned” the beach! We have arranged with a B & B in El Nido for this private tour. They have a hut here and so the package included van transfers and a good lunch of grilled fish, chicken barbecue and a generous serving of fried noodles sautéed in shrimps, pork bits and veggies. We watched the waves while enjoying our watermelons and pineapples. For 700 pesos per pax, it’s a good deal.
Barbecued chicken, grilled fish, fried noodles with lotsa shrimps, pork bits and veggies. Onion and Soy Sauce to go with the dishes.
Fresh watermelons, pineapples and coconuts.
And there’s the local flavor. Every now and then, a carabao (water buffalo) would pass by as our van driver harvest some coconuts for us. The crab “box” nets fronting the native huts and the boats resting by the shoreline evoke images of simple lives. I can’t help thinking how urbanites work like horses, save like a Scrooge and then blow away their savings just to experience island life. What irony!
Crab catchers?
The Island Life?
What a wonderful day spent here! I can’t say I can live here. We’re city people who love Internet connections (how else do i blog without it?), going to the movies and dining out. But we also love the beach life from time to time. If only to break the routine, nourish the soul, and simply bond together. After all, aside from “playing together”, vacations meant eating ALL meals together. A luxury we hardly enjoy back in the urban jungle where everyone is rushing to work or school, or too tired for an evening chat after school and work. I should know. I’m HOME ALONE most times, unless my itchy feet take me somewhere more exciting 😉
Truly. Paraiso (Paradise) in El Nido!
While I’m all done with my yearender phlog, I have yet to draw up my 2013 Travel Calendar. Got to say…… This time around, all planning went out the window. Zilch. No plans. But I do have a bucket list.
MACCHU PICCHU. Photo sourced from the Net.
IGUASSU FALLS. Photo sourced from the Net.
South America in my mind. Has been for a lonnnnnng while. I missed the trip to Macchu Picchu with my friends last April 2012 as I was still based in Madrid then. Not sure if I can finally realize this dream before I turn “senior” later this year. My major concern here is the timing. April seems like a good month to go. But who’s coming with me? The trip requires quite a bit of planning and funding, as well as a high energy level. I reckon this is something I’ve got to do while my legs are still good. (Does that now explain my hike up Bhutan’s Tiger Nest Monastery and the recent “conquest” of Sagada’s SUMAGUING Cave?)
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In my book, the best beach. Ever.
But I started early with my local destinations this 2013. Finally, I struck El Nido off my bucket list! Did Tours A and B covering some 10 islands, though 5 of those would have been enough to keep me smiling for some time. As a bonus, I even managed to see the twin beaches of Nacpan and Calitang. Now, these beaches are truly must-sees but at the same time, I have concerns it may turn into another “Boracay”. Hopefully not. I brought my entire family to Boracay years before tourists came but subsequent visits ended in disappointments over how local authorities irresponsibly tramped up the place. But I digress….. Back to my travel plans 😉
BATANES ISLAND. Photo sourced from the Net.
MOUNT PINATUBO. Photo sourced from the Net.
I’m booked to go to Batanes this March. Wish me luck. Stories about that treacherous boat ride to Sabtang Island give me nightmares. And a second visit to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. I blogged about my first visit and that blog seems to be a magnet for controversy. Different folks, different strokes. I’ve said my piece on this. Just check out my post as I don’t wish to repeat it here. Again, I digress. My apologies 😦
My most controversial blog is about Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a collection of heirloom structures from all over the country and reassembled here in Bagac, Bataan.
Stingless Jelly Fish in Bucas Grande Island in Siargao? Photo sourced from the Net.
Before then, I hope to be able to trek to the Mount Pinatubo Crater. Maybe this February. And then there’s a couple more local destinations I want to do with family and friends. Topping the list is Siargao. Not to surf, but to check out the non-stinging jellyfish off Bucas Grande Island near Siargao Island. Remind me to research on what’s the best time to visit. 🙂
There is so much more, here and abroad. At home, I have missed Kapurpurawan Cave when my family spent a long weekend in Ilocos up north. We also missed Caramoan Island when we did the road trip to Bicol. That, along with the Tulapos Marine Sanctuary in Sorsogon. I skipped a visit to Guimaras Island in my Iloilo trips. Likewise with Camiguin Island in my several trips to Cagayan de Oro City.
With 7,107 Philippine Islands, I am drawn to the tiniest in the Visayas Region — the mystical Siquijor Island. Also heard much about the Biri Rock Formation in Northern Samar while I am still grappling with my anxieties in even considering Tawi-Tawi Island. I have read the wonderful blogs of my young friends from the Net and feel pangs of jealousy over their adrenaline-pumping adventures and boundless energy and enthusiasm. Before we even notice, another year would be over. I should find myself back in Madrid to spend autumn and winter. Christmas and New Year 2014 in the land of cochinillo, jamon y quezos. Not the best time to do my long-planned Camino de Santiago. Winter is my worst enemy. Think body aches and atrophied knees. Well, let’s see how this year 2013 goes. Vale!
It’s that time of the year again. Looking all around, and stuck in traffic jams all around the city, it certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
That’s the Airport decked in Christmas lights and decor!
Has it been a year? A granddaughter is well into her teens. Fifteen is a nice young age to discover new interests and develop friendships to last and count many years. It’s that age when shopping trips and watching movies are more fun with friends than with ahem….. family. Patricia’s artistic talent got her enrolled for summer class in SoFA and self-expressions found their way into her photography, sketches and t-shirt designs. Of the latter, she poured many late hours designing the shirt for her school batch — the Sophomores, as she did year-earlier for the Freshmen — and was rewarded with recognition and an award for best design. Reminds me of the time she designed her own dress to wear to her Grade School Batch Party. Sweet girl minus the moods……. And that occasional streak when she enjoys scaring her Mamu with a frog!
Anna Patricia and Her Frog. Now she knows what makes me jump!
I blinked. And the little girl grew up!
Martin turned 12 TODAY – – his last pre-teen year but remains our sweet, loving boy. Tall for his age, but never too old to charm his Mamu to bring him to Heaven & Eggs in Glorietta 4. Last week, he asked me to gift him with Polaroid film and promptly took shots in quirky, artsy “The Collective”. He is graduating from Grade School in March. Of course he didn’t fail to ask me to enroll him again for badminton lessons next summer. I remember how I used to dread meeting his teachers in school. Lovingly, sweetly, they’d invariably recount how “talkative” our dear Martin is. Mr. Congeniality, that’s him. This young gentleman also opens doors for his Mamu. At least whenever he remembers 😉 From food trips, Martin is now beginning to discover the joys of shopping. Scary thought!
Our sweet, charming boy. Martin never fails to get me OUT of my grumpy mood. A hug and a kiss never fails!
a Treasured Photo………
How time flies! Our “nest” is emptying out. NO, more like branching out……. to Sydney and Madrid. Birthdays and Christmases shared via Skype or FaceTime. Truly, Christmas is in the heart. Before long, I should be leaving to join one in Madrid. I rummaged through my files and found these photos of my girls. Back when the youngest was only 6 months old. I got them to pose nearly the same way on the same sofa in the ancestral house years later. It’s a treasured photo now!
Sarah and Yane on Facetime. Mayette at work. The Bautistas with Sarah on a trip to Corregidor.
And me? I’ve had my fill of adventures this 2012 just as my 2 blogsites each hit 100,000 views. Early in the year, I left and lived in Spain for nearly 3 months where I helped set up house for a niece. Back in Manila in May, in time to enjoy the last few weeks of Manila summer with the rest of family. Before long, I was off to a dream trip in August. Another one off my bucket list. South Africa and Zambia. All adventures fully documented, to include some domestic destinations which were shelved for the longest time.
Google “liliram” for my TravelBlog site. Google “lifeisacelebration” for my wordpress site.
Trips filed according to destination. There’s one for Spain. Another for Africa.
All told, it was another wonderful year. AND YES, IT’S A MERRY CHRIST-MAS!
Christmas cheer to everyone!
CHRISTMAS IS IN OUR HEARTS!
In this day and age, photography has taken hold of nearly every young adult’s life. DLSR or P&S, a camera slung on someone’s neck has now become part of the wardrobe. One photo — which I’m borrowing from the Net — speaks volumes about everyday life now.
We take photos of places we’ve visited, restos we’ve dined in, food we’ve eaten, celebrities we’ve seen, or just about anything or anyone we found interesting. “Found interesting?” —- OR very candidly, something we wanted to share with others. “Something we wanted to share……?” — or quite honestly, something we wanted OTHERS to know about us. 😃😀😊
Social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. render it almost obligatory to “document” our everyday activity. Our circle of friends et al get updated with our not-so-private lives through our status updates and photos we post. In my time, we wrote on our diaries. Now, some of us BLOG. Still others feel free and absolutely unrestricted with the ways they wish to express themselves. Then as in now, we were provided ways to express ourselves. But the rules have changed. What we wrote on our diaries then stayed a secret. These days, what we blog is available to everyone including strangers. Same Same, but different.
Whatever the reasons or motivations, I’m happy I don’t have to shell out a big chunk to get my films developed. I’m glad I need not scrimp on my shots, that i can in fact “experiment”, and that a bad shot can so easily be dismissed with one click. I’m overjoyed that I can do my “diaries” complete with photos that make them great memory aids! And that I can even share them with others. Really, isn’t it amazing we can do all these things now?
Sure, there are those who really go overboard. The camwhores who truly think others are genuinely interested in them, what they do, and how they look. (Yeah, forget the VIEW, just check out my jumpshot!) Or they are exhibitionist-wannabes. As for moí, I need my memory aids. That, plus I do love it that I continue to learn something new. For someone who has not had a camera until her early 30’s, you can say I’m a late-bloomer. After all, self-expression is available to everyone of all ages.
Back from nearly 3 months in Spain and done with all my back blogs, I only managed one weekend out-of-town trip, a day trip to Pampanga, a trip to the Museum and an afternoon in Chinatown. In between, I was blogging, researching and reading travel books and blogs.
It’s been almost 3 months since I got back. Armchair traveller? Or a couch potato? I have long had all of 45 movies in my iPad to fill in the time waiting at airports, bus terminals and train stations. None watched. Till lately. I even managed to watch “Oro, Plata, Mata” on YouTube! That, plus all the research on my much-coveted Camino de Santiago and African safari. Nearly a daily routine…… Just the latest in my string of “bad habits”. 😄
Sourced from the Net: An African Safari
I looked at the photo above with giddy enthusiasm. The sensation approximates my earlier terrible obsessive desire to go to Macchu Picchu. Missed out on the latter while my dear friends went without me. 😢 The Camino de Santiago is something I’d also want to do. More so now when I learned a friend has done the 100 kilometer walk recently. All apprehensions banished. I’d do this for sure. Perhaps next year.
Sourced from the Net: An African Queen Sunset Cruise (Victoria Falls, Zambia Side)
Must be post-travel blues to explain all this laziness. I’ve been knocking books off the shelf to fill in the time. I have gained 3 pounds since I got back. I don’t even do my daily exercises now. For sure, something feels off-kilter. When I start cleaning out my closet and begin feeling sluggish putting the stuff back, something’s terribly wrong. So, how do you shake off the blues?
Sourced from the Net: Garden Route, South Africa
I did what most others advise. I’m off again. Soon. Those post-travel blues wiped away as I start feeling peppy again over the prospect of crossing out another item in my bucket list. Watch this page, amigos y amigas. Pretty soon, I’d be donning my loafers and bush jackets as I psyche myself to do that bush walk. Maybe meet and greet a pride of lions. Or ride an ostrich, if an elephant won’t do.
Sourced from the Net: One of My All-Time Favorite Movie
